From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Throughout its run, the "Princess Diaries" production team maintained a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, with the work progressing slightly ahead of schedule. Even work felt enjoyable. Despite this, Julie Andrews' arrival on set seemed to amplify the joyous atmosphere, radiating happiness.

Anne was keenly aware of the opportunity before her, not only to play the lead role in a film, but also to observe a legend up close and learn from her experiences, transforming them into nourishment for her own growth. She had every reason to focus her attention and give it her all.

Julie was particularly fond of Anne. After collaborating on three or four scenes, Julie could sense Anne's eagerness to learn. Despite her nervousness, inexperience, and apprehension, she was constantly learning, and each time, she could adjust based on the guidance she received, genuinely absorbing it and growing from it.

This was truly rare.

Julie didn't hesitate to share her own experiences, acting as a treasure trove of knowledge, offering detailed pointers to Anne, helping her to better convey the character's emotions, as well as the comedic effect that Garry hoped to see—

Ultimately, "The Princess Diaries" was a comedy, and if it couldn't make the audience happy, how could it be considered a comedy?

Anne was constantly learning.

"Phew."

Anne exhaled a long breath, glanced at Anson, widened her eyes, and made a small, playful face. "Wish me luck, I'm about to go on."

Today's scene wouldn't be easy.

Because it was pure comedy, even requiring some silliness. If it wasn't enough, it wouldn't be funny; if it was too exaggerated, it would be clownish. They needed to strike the right balance.

This was precisely the most difficult part.

Nervousness was inevitable.

In a way, Anson was even more excited than Anne.

Another opportunity to observe and learn had arrived.

Today, he could watch Julie perform comedy up close, seeing how to be elegantly funny while avoiding being attention-seeking, how to cleverly incorporate humor while avoiding the trap of being exaggerated and cheesy. Such opportunities didn't come every day.

Generally speaking, when watching a performance, what grabs attention is often the dialogue, because the sound catches the ear, and because the dialogue reflects the content. When the audience judges a performance, the actor's mastery of the lines is frequently mentioned.

Indeed, the silent film era is a very, very distant memory.

Anson was no exception; but strangely, when he watched Julie perform, what firmly grabbed his attention—including his eyes and ears—wasn't the dialogue.

In the previous few times, Anson thought it was because the dialogue in "The Princess Diaries" was mainly about everyday life, without those exaggerated and melodramatic theatrical effects, so the actors needed to perform more naturally and lightly.

—How to show the everydayness of the dialogue was also a difficult problem.

Therefore, Anson had been observing how Julie handled those lines; however, today, Anson finally realized that the focus wasn't on the lines, but on the posture, the stance, the form, and other body language.

But why?

Watching with his eyes and feeling with his heart, he could indeed taste the flavor of the performance; but when describing it in words, Anson couldn't find the accurate vocabulary.

A feeling that was indescribable yet truly existed.

Very special.

In the movie, there's a scene where the main character, Mia, and the stylist responsible for Mia's makeover are standing in front of a three-sided full-length mirror, examining where to start the transformation.

Obviously, the stylist exaggeratedly created shock and fear, highlighting the difficulty of the makeover in this way, creating a comedic effect while making the audience full of anticipation for the transformation results.

And what about the Queen played by Julie?

In this scene, she's a supporting character. She and her assistant stand beside the mirror, listening to the stylist's suggestions. Then the Queen takes a confidentiality agreement from her assistant, hoping the stylist can sign and abide by it.

It's here—

Before the Queen speaks, she stands beside Mia, quietly sizing her up. Although the scene includes five people, including the stylist's assistant, and the focus is on Mia, Anson's gaze can't leave the Queen.

No dialogue, no action, not the focus.

Julie just stands elegantly in place, her hands clasped over her lower abdomen, quietly sizing up Mia. That look reveals some concern but also cautiously applies the brakes, a kind of wanting to get close but not knowing how to get close, while also having a kind of hope for exploration and searching.

It feels like… like searching for traces of her son in Mia.

In fact, it seems complicated to describe, but in reality, it's only less than half a second. It's precisely this half-second that firmly grabs attention.

At first, Anson thought it was the eyes, but he soon realized it was more than that. That posture, that expression, the emotions emanating from her whole body were just different, just presenting a state, and then leaving it to the audience to interpret.

Anson found it interesting and couldn't help but want to rewind—

Obviously, he couldn't.

This was a film set, not a short video.

But Anson couldn't help but recall it carefully. In the scene, there were five people, the dialogue was handled by the stylist, and the focus was on Anne, but Julie, without saying a word, still firmly grabbed the attention of the camera.

What was the reason for this?

A very subtle and special feeling, which Anson had never noticed before. Now that he had become an actor and then appreciated these scenes, the entire focus had undergone some slight changes, and a whole new world was unfolding before him.

So, what exactly was going on?

If he didn't understand, he would ask. Anson didn't act coy. When filming temporarily came to a pause at noon, he watched Julie and Anne talking and proactively approached them, patiently looking for an opportunity to join the conversation.

"Hey, Anson."

Julie noticed Anson, turned her head, and greeted him with a smile.

Anson revealed a set of neat, white teeth. "Ms. Andrews."

Julie was amused by this form of address. Although Julie rarely sang now due to throat surgery, there were no problems with daily speech, she just needed to be careful to protect it. Her expression completely relaxed. "Addressing me as 'Ms.' implies that you have something to ask?"

Anson's face was full of sincerity. "Even if there's nothing to ask, it's still the same. After all, we were taught from a young age to use the correct form of address."

This was… a joke.

In "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music," the characters played by Julie were responsible for educating children, so in the eyes of the audience, her image has always been that of a 'governess,' full of respect in her words.

Julie immediately heard the subtext in Anson's words, chuckled softly, and turned to look at Anne. "No wonder Anne said you're the atmosphere creator on set."

Anson spread his hands, his face full of equanimity. "It seems my attempt worked."

Julie's eyes were full of smiles. "Speak, what's your question? I'm ready."

Having been given permission, Anson wasn't shy and immediately threw out his thoughts.

Third update.